Kern County Obituaries
Brenna Kay Grass
Submitted by Don Stowell; 13 Feb 2008
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Source Unknown; Date Unknown
Brenna Kay Grass, director of services at Tarzana Treatment Center in Antelope
Valley, died Aug. 4 in Tehachapi. She was 37 years old.The name Brenna means "full
of life," and she dedicated hers to those less fortunate through her career, which
began locally at Tehachapi High School where she was employed as a counselor.
Born in Big Spring, Texas, to Air Force pilot Lt. LeRoy Schroeder and wife Cathryn
Schroeder, Brenna traveled to Taiwan not long after her birth when her father was
sent to Vietnam. Her mother would later say, "The people in Taiwan loved Brenna's
big, round brown eyes and curly hair."
After living in Texas, Louisiana, Ohio, and Edwards, Calif., Brenna settled with
her family in Tehachapi where she began her freshman year at the local high school.
Tall, brunette-haired and outgoing, Brenna quickly made friends and established
herself in local rodeo. In 1984 she was crowned Tehachapi's own Rodeo Queen.
Following her high school graduation, Brenna attended Whittier College where she
made lifelong friends and spent a year studying abroad in Denmark. Armed with a
degree in social work, Brenna returned to her hometown of Tehachapi and worked to
promote a drug-free environment in her own alma mater, then dedicated herself in
helping her students achieve their dream to graduate. At the ceremony the students
publicly thanked her for guidance, and many credited Brenna responsible for making
a difference in their lives.
At 24, Brenna married another local, Daniel Grass. Shortly after, they moved to
Fort Collins, Colo., and started their family. Four years later they welcomed a
daughter, Casey, then two years later a son, Benjamin. When Brenna's father was
diagnosed with a terminal disease, she and Dan packed up their family and moved
back to California.
In her free time Brenna enjoyed quilting, spending time with her horses and family,
and sometimes simply curling up with a good book and a cup of tea. In her own way
she changed the world by helping people change their lives for the better.
Above all she was dedicated to her marriage, her family and her spirituality.
She will be missed by everyone who was lucky enough to know her.
She is survived by her husband Dan, her two
children, Casey, 9, and Ben, 7, her mother Cathryn Schroeder-McNaughton, her
paternal grandmother Connie Schroeder, her brother Alex Schroeder and wife Alicia
Schroeder, and sister Cate Townsend and husband Tony Townsend.
Brenna's life will be celebrated at Country Oaks Baptist Church in Tehachapi on
Saturday, Aug. 14 at 2 p.m. In lieu of flowers, the Grass family requests donations
be made to either the Melanoma Research Foundation or in a trust for the Grass
children at Kern Schools Federal Credit Union, care of Daniel Grass.
Many thanks and heartfelt gratitude to Wood Family Funeral Services for providing
arrangements, and for their kind support in this difficult time.
The Melanoma Research Foundation 24 Old Georgetown Road Princeton, NJ 08540
NOTE: Photo At: http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~cagha/index.htmphotos/kern/